UPDATE Weekly

NC Health Care Facilities Association presents RESTORING QUALITY SLEEP-IMPROVING RESIDENT CARE AND QUALITY OF LIFE. This seminar will be offered in Charlotte on April 23rd and again in Chapel Hill on April 24th and will be presented by Sue Ann Guildermann with Empira. This session will:

• Restate the key components of the Empira Fall Prevention program.
• Explain the process that leads to the Empira Restorative Sleep Vitality Program.
• Discuss the etiology of sleep and wake in human beings.
• Identify the key components of the Empira Restorative Sleep Vitality Program.
• Identify the top 10 disturbances to sleep.
• Provide five operational actions a long term care provider can do to prevent sleep disturbance.

The state survey agency was able to utilize CMP to have all LTC surveyors attend this training! DHHS supports this type of approach and care of residents in nursing homes as it is evidenced based and person-centered. These are the types of person-centered interventions and management that are encouraged and sustainable.

The cost to attend this seminar is $195 for members and $390 for non-members. This fee includes handouts, snacks, and lunch. YOU CAN REGISTER AND PAY ONLINE! TO REGISTER, GO TO http://NursingHomesNC.com AND CLICK ON RESTORING QUALITY SLEEP. You may also download a brochure. Members may be invoiced. Non-members must submit payment on-line or mail with registration. Registration is open to anyone who would like to attend!

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Last week President Obama signed HR 4302 into law. This new law, amongst other things, prevents ICD-10 from being adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services until at least October 1, 2015. ICD-10 was previously scheduled to take effect on October 1, 2014.

There has been no official statement from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) about the bill’s ICD-10 delay. While many assume that ICD-10 will go ahead on October 1, 2015, the lack of clarification from CMS concerns many. It is expected that CMS will provide new guidance to the industry on what the delay means to providers and other impacted entities.

The delay seemed to take CMS entirely by surprise. CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner strongly enforced the deadline of October 1, 2014 during a conference in February, and CMS continued to release materials warning of the October 2014 deadline up until the very morning the House voted on the delay.

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The “Updated LEIE” database file reflects all OIG exclusion and reinstatement actions up to, and including, those taken in March 2014. This new, “Updated LEIE” (List of Excluded Individuals and Entities) is a complete database file containing all exclusions currently in effect. Individuals and entities that have been reinstated to the federal health care programs are not included in this file.

All the updated files are posted at http://oig.hhs.gov/exclusions/exclusions_list.asp.

OIG now only archives monthly supplement files for the previous 12 months. Older material is no longer available on the website or via phone call to Exclusions staff, although the Downloadable LEIE gives users the latest information on excluded individuals or entities. The Monthly Supplement files dated May 2013 or before will not include the National Provider Identifier and Waiver fields.

Instructional videos explaining how to use the online database and the downloadable files are available. View the online database video at http://oig.hhs.gov/exclusions/online.asp. View the downloadable database video at http://oig.hhs.gov/exclusions/download.asp.

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Palmetto GBA will host a J11 Part A Ask the Contractor Teleconference (ACT) on Thursday, April 17, 2014, from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM ET. This call is intended for Part A providers billing for services rendered in Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. The ACT call is designed to open the communication channels between Palmetto GBA and the Jurisdiction 11 Part A provider community.

On this call Palmetto GBA will provide tips and reminders to reduce the Comprehensive Error Rate Testing or CERT scores.

To participate on the call, dial (877) 789-3907 and use conference code 75463736.

Providers are encouraged to submit questions prior to the call. Just fill out the ACT Request for Inquiry Items Form. This form may be sent via fax to (803) 935-0140 addressed to J11 Part A Ask-the-Contractor Teleconference. All questions must be received at least five business days prior to the teleconference. To help ensure your access to this conference call we ask that you dial in five to 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time.

An Encore digital recording of this conference will be available for replay two hours after the call’s completion and will remain available until April 24 at 11:59 PM. To access the recording, dial (855) 859-2056 and use the conference code shown above.

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The April 2014 issue of the Medicaid Bulletin is available. The Medicaid Bulleting is published on-line each month by the Division of Medical Assistance. The latest issue has updated information from NCTracks and other items that may be of interest to nursing home providers. The current and past issues can be viewed at http://www.ncdhhs.gov/dma/bulletin/index.htm.

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National Nursing Home Week® (NNHW), which begins on Mother’s Day, May 11 and ends May 17, 2014, is a special week in the year. This year’s theme revolves around the “Aloha Spirit” from the Hawaiian culture — it encompasses the qualities of being patient, kind, respectful, and compassionate. We hope you will join others during this week to honor and entertain everyone you serve, and the staffs that care for them! This special attention will make for a remarkable week, especially if you order NNHW-themed gear to spice up the festivities. Visit Facebook (http://www.Facebook.com/NursingHomeWeek) and “Like” us. Be sure to post your favorite pictures to the Facebook page so others can enjoy your fun and creativity

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The NC State Board of Examiners for Nursing Home Administrators will offer the 2014 Preceptor Seminars on April 28-29, 2014 and April 29-30, 2014 at the Kingston Plantation, Myrtle Beach, SC. You will need to choose the first seminar dates for Renewal Preceptor certification and the second seminar dates for Initial Preceptor Certification and Continuing Education Only. The seminars will be open to all nursing home administrators seeking continuing education credits and/or preceptor certification. This is the only Preceptor Seminar being planned for 2014 by the NC State Board of Examiners for Nursing Home Administrators.

Click here to download more information along with the registration form.

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This book offers CNAs the support of trained and experienced mentors to guide their way as they develop into quality health care professionals. Implementing this program can help you reduce your facility’s CNA turnover rate, save money and build a more competent staff. You’ll have happier residents and a higher quality facility as a result!

To order, visit http://www.AHCApublications.org or call (800) 321-0343.

Product #6706
AHCA MEMBERS $59.95

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Mobility and Safe Movement of the Elderly, Improving Your Skills to Prevent Injuries and Reduce Falls, by Teepa Snow, MS, OTR/L., FOTA, Dementia Care & Training Specialist. This DVD was developed in conjunction with Wake Allied Health Education Center, Durham Technical Community College and the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Office of Information Systems. The content is formatted in separate segments in order to customize the delivery of content to your learning objective. Handouts developed by Teepa may be reproduced and accompany each video. To order, contact Jan Williams at janw@nchcfa.org. The price is $35.00 (tax and shipping included).

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Cultural Obstacles to Aging with Grace – Are Americans ready to grow up—or just grow old?

http://www.providermagazine.com/archives/2014_Archives/Pages/0414/Cultural-Obstacles.aspx#magazine-article

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The Civil Rights Act of 1964 Senate debate marked the one time that Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X met in Washington, DC. While the meeting lasted for only a minute, it symbolized the two major sides of Black politics coming together.

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